Prof. Zhenhua Ming, Ph.D., Doctoral Supervisor/Master Supervisor

Contact

E-mail: zhming@gxu.edu.cn

Biography

He obtained his bachelor's degree from Shandong University in 2010 and his doctor's degree from Tsinghua University in 2015 (supervisor, Academician Zihe Rao). In 2022, he worked as a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia (supervisor, Professor Yuelin Zhang). Through his doctoral research, he underwent intensive scientific training in Structural Virology Laboratory of Tsinghua University, resulting in significant publications in Nature (2016, Top Ten Scientific and Technological Advances in Chinese Universities) and Cell Research (2014). His current research primarily focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms governing crucial pathways in the interaction between plants and pathogens, with a particular emphasis on pathogenicity and plant immunity. As the lead author, he has made substantial contributions to various scholarly works published in Nucleic Acids Research (2021), Plant Physiology (2024), Plant Communications (2023, 2024), Communications Biology (2024), and Journal of Molecular Biology (2022). He has received funding for two projects from National Natural Science Foundation of China, one from Guangxi Natural Science Foundation, and one each from State Key Laboratory and Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology. Recognized for his achievements, he was honored with the Guangxi Outstanding Youth Fund (2021) and was selected for the Guangxi Youth Talent Training Project (2023). Additionally, he serves as a peer reviewer for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, holds membership in the Chinese Biophysical Society, and is a director in the Guangxi Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He also contributes his expertise as a reviewer for esteemed journals such as Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Plants, and Nature Communications.

Teaching and Research Achievements

He teaches "Bioinformatics" for undergraduate and graduate students, "Biochemistry" for undergraduate students, and "Molecular Biology" for undergraduate students. His dedication lies in fostering the growth of scientific undergraduates and exceptional graduate students. Recent individuals under his mentorship have achieved the following distinctions:

1) one graduate student, outstanding university students of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region;

2) one PhD student, the President Scholarship;

3) two postgraduate students, National Scholarship;

4) six undergraduate students, outstanding thesis of Guangxi University.

Main fundings:

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Youth Project, 2018/01-2020/12, 220,000

2. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Regional Project, 2022/01-2025/12, 350,000

3. Guangxi Outstanding Youth Project, 2021/01-2024/12, 600,000

4. Youth Talent Project of the State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agricultural Biological Resources, 2023/07-2025/07, 300,000

5. Youth Talent Project of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, 2020/01-2021/12, 500,000

Research Interests

1. Plant pathogenicity and plant immunity

2. Biosynthesis and perception of signaling molecules

Selected Publications

1.    Fenmei Liu#; Zihui Su#; Peng Chen; Xiaolin Tian; Lijie Wu; Dong-Jie Tang; Peifang Li; Haiteng Deng; Pengfei Ding; Qiang Fu; Ji-Liang Tang*; Zhenhua Ming*; Structural basis for zincinduced activation of a zinc uptake transcriptional regulator, Nucleic Acids Research, 2021, 49(11): 6511-6528

2.    Qiaoqiao Zhao#; Jinlin Bao#; Huailong Li#; Wei Hu#; Yanqiong Kong; Yifeng Zhong; Qiang Fu; Guolyu Xu; Fenmei Liu; Xi Jiao; Jian Jin*; Zhenhua Ming*; Structural and biochemical basis of FLS2-mediated signal activation and transduction in rice, Plant Communications, 2024, 100785

3.    Yanqiong Kong#; Jia Chen#; Lingli Jiang; Hong Chen; Yanan Shen; Lifeng Wang; Yujie Yan; Huan Zhou; Heping Zheng; Feng Yu*; Zhenhua Ming*; Structural and biochemical basis of Arabidopsis FERONIA receptor kinase-mediated early signaling initiation, Plant Communications, 2023, 4(4): 100559

4.    Guolyu Xu#; Jinxue Ma#; Qi Fang; Qiong Peng; Xi Jiao; Wei Hu; Qiaoqiao Zhao; Yanqiong Kong; Fenmei Liu; Xueqi Shi; Dong-Jie Tang; Ji-Liang Tang*; Zhenhua Ming*; Structural insights into Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris NAD+ biosynthesis via the NAM salvage pathway, Communications Biology, 2024, 7(255)

5.    Guolyu Xu#; Huizhao Su#; Lining Lu; Xiaomeng Liu; Liang Zhao; Bo Tang*; Zhenhua Ming*; Structural insights into the catalytic mechanism and ubiquitin recognition of USP34, Journal of Molecular Biology, 2022, 434(13): 167634

6.    Peng Chen#; Xi Jiao#; Yukun Zhang#; Lijie Wu#; Dong-Jie Tang; Peifang Li; Xiaoxuan Chen; Dong Chao; Ji-Liang Tang*; Zhenhua Ming*; The crystal structure of the phytopathogenic bacterial sensor PcrK reveals different cytokinin recognition mechanism from the plant sensor AHK4, Journal of Structural Biology, 2019, 208(1): 69-76

7.    Ruifeng Yao#; Zhenhua Ming#; Liming Yan#; Suhua Li#; Fei Wang; Sui Ma; Caiting Yu; Mai Yang; Li Chen; Linhai Chen; Yuwen Li; Chun Yan; Di Miao; Zhongyuan Sun; Jianbin Yan; Yuna Sun; Lei Wang; Jinfang Chu; Shilong Fan; Wei He; Haiteng Deng; Fajun Nan; Jiayang Li; Zihe Rao*; Zhiyong Lou*; Daoxin Xie*; DWARF14 is a non-canonical hormone receptor for strigolactone, Nature, 2016 Aug 25; 536(7617):469-73. [featured by F1000; Selected as the cover of a book (Hormone Metabolism and Signaling in Plants, Elsevier); Selected as Top Ten Advancement in Science and Technology of Chinese Universities and Top Ten Advancement in Life Sciences of China, 2016]

8.    Zhenhua Ming#; Wei Wang#; Yuchen Xie; Pengfei Ding; Yuchao Chen; Dazhi Jin; Yuna Sun; Bin Xia; Liming Yan*; Zhiyong Lou*;Crystal structure of the novel di-nucleotide cyclase from Vibrio cholerae (DncV) responsible for synthesizing a hybrid cyclic GMP-AMP. Cell Research, 2014 Oct; 24(10):1270-3.